A data flow framework to support the selection and integration of digital technologies for smart production

With the development towards Industry 5.0, manufacturing companies are developing towards Smart Production – namely, using data as a resource to interconnect the elements in the production system for a more resource-efficient and sustainable production. Selection and integration of digital technologies are crucial steps to ensure that suitable technology is chosen and properly introduced in the production system. However, having one digital technology is not enough; rather there is a need to combine several synergising technologies for smart production. There are many challenges when selecting and integrating a combination of synergising digital technologies for smart production. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to support manufacturing companies in systematically selecting and integrating suitable digital technologies for efficiently benefiting data value chains for smart production. This paper employed a multiple case study involving manufacturing companies within different industries and of different sizes. The paper analyses the current challenges related to the selection and integration of digital technologies and proposes a data flow framework with possible ways of combining digital technologies. The proposed framework shows alternative data flows between a combination of technologies depending on what digital technologies are selected and how they are integrated.